Pressurized cartridge for aerosol dispenser



R. s. SCHENK 3,409,180

PRESSURIZED CARTRIDGE FOR AEROSOL DISPENSER Nov. 5, 1968 Filed May 29,1967 lNl/EA/TOA? A? 544 TH 5CHEA/K United States Patent 3,409,180PRESSURIZED CARTRIDGE FOR AEROSOL DISPENSER Rudolph S. Schenk, TallOaks, Andover, N.J., assignor to Rexall Drug and Chemical Company, LosAngeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 29, 1967, Ser. No.642,079 1 Claim. (Cl. 222193) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A valvecontrolled, pressurized fluid-containing cartridge for drawing acommodity from a container and for dispensing the commodity through avalve. The cartridge includes internal and external tubular projectionswhich permit the separate airtight connection of inner and outer tubesthereto for directing the commodity from the container and through thecartridge without leakage of fluid from the cartridge into thecontainer.

The present invention relates to aerosol dispensers and, moreparticularly, to an improved pressurized, fluid-containing cartridge fordispensing a commodity from a container preferably as a spray.

Commercially available aerosol dispensers commonly comprise a containerhaving a fluid or powdered commodity therein under pressure, a valve fordispensing the commodity from the container, and a nozzle for directingthe dispensing of the commodity on or at predetermined articles orportions of the body. To maintain the commodity under pressure, it isnecessary that the aerosol container be sturdy and airtight. For thisreason, aerosol containers presently take the form of rigid metalcylinders. Great care is exercised during manufacture of the metalcylinders to insure that they are truly airtight and that thepressurized commodity will not leak around the valves contained therein.Because of the care required in manufacture and the use of relativelyrigid materials, conventional aerosol dispensers are rather expensivepackages.

Recent improvements have reduced the production costs of aerosoldispensers. These improvements include a rela tively small, pressurizedfluid-propellant-containing cartridge which eliminates the need forsturdy, airtight construction of aerosol containers. The pressurizedcartridge includes a metal cylinder filled with a fluid propellant underpressure, such as Freon. A valve having a dispensing nozzle thereon isstationed at a top of the cylinder and a. tube extends from the valvethrough the cylinder. The cylinder is designed for mounting in acontainer storing a liquid or powdered commodity for dispensing thecommodity upon operation of the valve. In particular, operation of thevalve releases pressurized fluid propellant (Freon gas) from thecylinder over the end of the tube to draw the commodity from thecontainer through the nozzle.

Such operation of the pressurized cartridge does not require that thecontainer be of an airtight construction. Therefore, the pressurizedcartridge allows aerosol containers to be formed of nonrigid andpermeable materials and permits elimination of the expensive airtightsealforming steps from their manufacture.

Although the pressurized cartridge represents a substantial improvementin aerosol spray dispensers, leakage 3,409,180 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 ofthe pressurized fluid from such cartridges and into their associatedaerosol containers has proved to be a serious problem. In particular,great difliculty has been encountered in developing an effective,inexpensive and long lasting seal between the tube and the cylinder ofthe cartridge at the point where the tube extends through the cylinder.Various forms of such sealing arrangements have been proposed to solvethe leakage problem but without success.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved pressurized fluid-containing cartridge for drawing a commodityfrom a container into the cartridge and for dispensing the commoditytherefrom without leakage of fluid from the cartridge into thecontainer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressurizedcartridg of the foregoing character including a simple, inexpensive andeflective sealing arrangement between the cartridge and the entrance forthe commodity into the cartridge which prevents leakage of the highpressure fluid from the cartridge into the container.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pressurizedcartridge of the foregoing character wherein the sealing arrangementcomprises internal and external tubular projections which permit theseparate airtight connection of inner and outer tubes thereto fordirecting the commodity from the container and through the cartridgewithout leakage of high pressure fluid from the cartridge into thecontainer.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide animproved aerosol dispenser including a pressurized cartridge of theforegoing character.

The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages of the presentinvention, may be more clearly understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered with the drawing, which, by way ofexample only, illustrates one form of pressurized fluid-containingcartridge and aerosol dispenser including the features of the presentinvention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of a cylinder main body portion of thepressurized cartridge;

FIG. 2 is a sectional top view taken along the line 2-2 at FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the pressurized cartridge with thefluid propellant contained therein;

FIG. 4 is a sectional top view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of an aerosol dispenser including thepressurized cartridge of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 66 in FIG. 5,illustrating the inner construction of the valve included in thepressurized cartridge.

In the drawin the aerosol dispenser is represented by the numeral 10 andincludes a container 12 having a liquid or powdered commodity 14 storedtherein. A metal, pressurized fluid-propel]ant-containing cartridge 16extends downwardly through a neck portion 18 of the container 12 andinto the commodity 14.

Generally speaking, the cartridge 16 includes a pressurized fluid-filledchamber 20 defined by a hollow cylinder 22 having a funnel-shaped bottom24 and a closed top 26 supporting a valve assembly 28. Tubular integralmeans 30 project upwardly from the inside of the chamber 20 around aside port 32 in the funnel-shaped bottom 24 and connect to the valveassembly 28.

In operation, the valve assembly 28 functions to selectively passpressurized fluid 33, such as Freon from the cylinder 22 over the upperend of the tubular means 30. As this occurs, a suction is created in thetubular means 30 which draws a portion of the commodity 14 from thecontainer 12 upwardly through the tubular means and valve assembly whereit combines with the pressurized fluid and exits from the dispenser as astream, foam, or spray.

More particularly, in the illustrated form of the pressurized cartridge16 (FIGS. 1-5), the neck portion of the funnel-shaped bottom 24 definesan external tubular projection 34 from the cylinder 22 around the sideport 32. The projection 34 is designed to fit tightly within the upperend of a flexible plastic tube 36 which in turn is adapted to extendinto a bottom portion of the container 12 when the cartridge 16 isseated in the neck 18 (see FIG. Thus, during operation of the cartridge16, the commodity is drawn by the tube 36 from the bottom of thecontainer upwardly into the tubular means 30 and hence through the valveassembly 28.

In the preferred form of the cartridge 16, the tubular means 30comprises a flexible radially compressible tube 38 and an internaltubular projection 40 from the top surface of the funnel-shaped bottom24 around the side port 32. The internal projection 40 is adapted to fitsnuggly into an open lower end of the tube 38. Thus positoned, the highpressure fluid 33 acts on the tube 38 to press the tube tightly againstthe projection 40, thereby creating an airtight seal which preventsleakage of the high pressure fluid from the bottom of the cylinder 22and into the container 16.

A similar airtight seal is developed between the upper end of the tube38 and the valve assembly 28 to prevent undesired leakage of the fluid33 through the valve assembly to atmosphere. In this regard, the valveassembly 28 comprises a slidable valve body 42, a valve body supportsleeve 44, a resilient disc 46, and a nozzle 48. The support sleeve 44is fixedly seated within a collar 50 formed in the top 26 of thecylinder 22 and bears upwardly against an outer annular portion of thelower surface of the disc 46. The disc 46, in turn, is captured betweenthe top of the sleeve 44 and the top of the collar 50 and includes acentral opening 52 for tightly receiving the valve body 42. The valvebody 42 is supported for sliding movement by the sleeve 44 with a lowerend portion 43 of reduced radial dimension extending downwardlytherefrom and into the upper open end of the tube 38. The pressure ofthe fluid 33 in the chamber 20 causes the tube 38 to press tightlyaround the lower end portion 43, thereby creating an airtight sealbetween the tube and the valve assembly 28 which prevents leakage of thefluid into and through a commodity inlet port 54 to atmosphere.

As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 6, the commodity inlet port 54extends upwardly through the valve body 42 and into the horizontal leg56a of an inverted L-shaped outlet port 56 in the nozzle 48, the nozzlebeing seated on the top of the valve body. The outlet port 56 is open toatmosphere at its outer end and in addition to the leg 56a includes avertical leg 56b which connects to a high pressure fluid inlet port 58upstream of the connection to inlet port 54 to horizontal leg 56a.

Still referring to FIG. 6, the fluid inlet port 58 comprises a slot 60in the valve body support sleeve 44 open to the inside of the chamber20, the interior of the sleeve 44 within the collar 50, a small hole 62in the valve body 42, and an annular passageway 64 connecting to thevertical leg 56b of outlet port 56 at the rear of a central tubular stem66 defining an upper end of the inlet port 54. Accordingly, in the inletport 58, high pressure fluid 33 passes through the slot 60 into the mainbody of the sleeve 44 and upwardly through the small hole 62 into theannular passageway 64 and hence to the outlet port 56. Upon entering theoutlet port 56, the high pressure fluid travels over the top of thejunction of the inlet port 54 and outlet port 56 and creates a suctionwhich draws some of the commodity 14 upwardly through the tubes 36 and38, and inlet port 54 into the outlet port 56. In the outlet port 56,the commodity mixes with the fluid 33 and is dispensed from the nozzle48.

Normally, the resilient disc 46 covers the hole 62 and functions toforce the valve body 42 to an upward posi tion within the support sleeve44 (the slide valve body 42 being shown in a downward position with theinlet port 58 open in FIG. 6). Accordingly, the inlet port 58 isnormally blocked and the commodity .14 is not dispensed from thecontainer 12. Then, when it is desired to dispense a predeterminedamount of the commodity, the end of the outlet port 56 is directed atthe article or portion of the body to receive the commodity and adownward force is exerted on the nozzle 48. The downward force moves thevalve body 42 downwardly within the support sleeve 44, causing theresilient disc 46 to bow downwardly as illustrated in FIG. 6. As thisoccurs, the small hole 62 is opened and high pressure fluid 33 escapesfrom the chamber 20 through the inlet port 58 and into the outlet port56 to dispense the commodity 14 in the manner just described. Upon arelease of nozzle 48, the disc 46 forces the valve body 42 upwardly toits normal position and again seals the opening 62 to block the inletport 58 and terminate the dispensing of the commodity.

During operation of the dispenser 10, the high pressure fluid 33 withinthe chamber 20 continues to exert pressure on the tube 38 to maintainthe airtight seals between the tube and the valve assembly 28 andinternal projection 40. Accordingly, despite the release of the highpressure fluid from the chamber 20, the fluid is prevented from leakinginto the container 12 or into the commodity inlet port 54.

From the foregoing, it is appreciated that the combination of theinternal tubular projection 40 and radially-compressible tube 38provides a simple, yet completely effective, seal which economicallyovercomes the leakage problems of prior pressurized cartridges designedfor use in aerosol spray dispensers.

While the pressurized cartridge has been shown as being mounted in acontainer, it should be appreciated that the cartridge is useable fordispensing commodities from various types of receptacles by merelyinserting the lower end of tube 36 into the commodity in the receptacle,an example being a can of paint for spray painting.

While a particular form of pressurized fluid-containing cartridge andaerosol dispenser has been described in some detail herein, changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. It is therefore intended that the present invention belimited in scope only by the terms of the following claim.

I claim:

1. A pressurized fluid containing cartridge for mounting in a containerand for dispensing a commodity therefrom, said cartridge comprising:

(a) a hollow body defining a pressurized fluid chamber, said body havingside and bottom walls with an open top, a port in the bottom wall andopening into said container when said cartridge is mounted therein;

(b) a pressurized propellant in said chamber;

(c) a first tubular sleeve integral with and projecting inwardly fromthe bottom wall of said chamber and surrounding said port;

(d) a second tubular sleeve integral with and projecting outwardly fromthe outside of the bottom wall and surrounding said port;

(e) a valve assembly mounted on and closing the open top of said bodyand extending outwardly therefrom, said valve assembly including a firstport means open to said chamber and second port means, and an outletport means connecting said first and second port means and leading tothe atmosphere;

(f) a first tube positioned inside said hollow body 5 6 and afiixed toand connecting said second tubular References Cited sleeve with saidfirst valve port means; and UNITED STATES PATENTS (g) a second tubeafiixed to said second tubular sleeve and extending downwardly from thehollow body 3,217,936 11/1965 Planalp 239 308 toward the bottom of thecontainer in which the 5 3,326,469 6/1967 "Planalp 239-308 cartridge ismounted, and having a lower end dis- 3,356,262 12/1967 Planalp 239-308posed within the commodity to be dispensed from the containel WALTERSOBIN, Primary Examiner.

